Pieces
by Leto
Summary: Music is an expression of the soul... a fairly fluffy little 01 fic. I hope this uploads, I've been having lots of problems uploading lately. -_-;


Pieces Heheh, anyone getting sick of me making fics Joe-centric yet? I've got plenty more! ^_-.

**Pieces**  
by Leto

"This stinks!" said Mimi, "it's cold and this wind is making a big mess of my hair! We've been walking for simply ages!" 

"Twenty minutes," said Izzy drily. 

"Mimi, could you stop complaining for once," said Matt. 

"Yeah, your whining doesn't exactly brighten the mood," said Sora. 

Mimi pouted and walked along in sulky silence. 

"Does anyone know where we're going?" said Joe, presently, "or are we lost, yet again? I'm getting motion sickness from all this walking." 

"Well, if you know a better way, I'd like to hear it," snapped Tai. 

"Yeah, honestly Joe, I don't see why you and Mimi always have to make things even worse than they already are," said Sora. 

"Worse?" said Joe, "how could things be any worse?" 

Just then it started to rain very hard. 

"You just had to say that, didn't you Joe!" said Mimi, tilting her hat so it covered her face. 

"I'm allergic to rain," said Joe. 

Gomamon was the only one who was pleased with the rain, jumping around to catch raindrops on his fur, and waiting eagerly for puddles to form so he could splash in them. 

Everyone started running, to hopefully find some shelter to get out of the rain. And, as things usually worked in the digital world, just when they needed something, a building stood right around the next corner. 

"I love it when that happens!" said Mimi, and ran straight in with Palmon on her heels. 

The other kids and Digimon followed close behind, and stood shivering in the hall, glad to be out of the wind and rain. 

Time in the digital world had taught them to expect the unexpected, and so somehow none of them were really very surprised to find themselves in a concert hall. There were many rows of seats, and at the front a stage with microphones and a piano. 

The kids walked up one of the aisles towards the stage. 

"I wonder if this hall is used by anyone?" said Izzy. 

"Well, it's being used by us right now," said Mimi, and ran up to one of the microphones. "Oh! I can just picture myself, a famous singer, in front of my adoring fans!" 

Izzy sweatdropped. "Reality check, Mimi. We are not your adoring fans." 

"Oh, have a little imagination for once!" said said, and began singing. The others ignored her, walking past her onto the stage. After she realised they weren't going to indulge her fantasy, she sighed and joined them by the piano. 

"Now THAT's a nice piano," said Joe, approvingly. He touched the wood. 

"It's been so long since I last heard music," sighed Mimi. 

"Yeah, that's one thing I miss about home," said Sora. 

Matt muttered something about his harmonica and how people had no appreciation for good music. 

Tai looked to Izzy. "Well, aren't you going to play for us?" 

Izzy squinted. "What are you talking about, Tai? I can't play the piano." 

"But you're so good with KEYBOARDS I thought you'd be able to play it no sweat!" 

Everyone groaned at the bad computer pun except for TK, who laughed, Tai, who laughed harder, and Izzy, who looked confused. "I don't get it." 

"Can't anyone here play the piano?" asked Sora. 

"Don't look at me," said Mimi, "I took flute and voice lessons!" 

"All I can play is the harmonica," said Matt, "and I taught myself that." 

TK shrugged. "I can play the triangle!" 

"I used to learn the recorder but then Dad said if he heard it one more time he'd break it into little shards and use them to stab whoever had invented recorders," said Tai, "but I can play Chopsticks!" 

He sat down at the piano and started butchering Chopsticks with typical Tainess - loud, aggressive and tactless. Everyone cringed. 

"Hey, don't do that," said Joe, "you shouldn't pound the keys like that. Let me try." 

Joe sat down at the piano and everyone stared in amazement as he started running his long fingers over the keys, playing a piece far more subtle and sophisticated than Chopsticks. After a moment, he closed his eyes and was soon totally caught up in what he was playing. 

It was a classical piece that none of the others recognised, that gave the impression of the ocean - at times soft and light, at others aggressive. One by one, the others got involved in the music too, which mingled with the sound of rain from outside, and they all closed their eyes. The usually clumsy Joe was, surprisingly, a very good player. 

When he had finished playing, Joe opened his eyes, and the passionate expression on his face was replaced by one of embarassment. 

"Sorry, I got a little carried away there," he said, "I just haven't had the chance to play for a few weeks. It wasn't very good, I'm out of practise." 

"No way, Joe!" said Gomamon, "I never knew you could make the sea come out of a piano!" 

"Hey yeah, that was pretty cool," said Matt - which from him was a real compliment. 

"Very nice!" said Gabumon. 

"Quite impressive," said Izzy. "Way cool!" said TK. 

"You never told us you could play!" said Tai. 

"Wow, Joe, I've never seen you look like that before," said Sora. 

"Hey Joe, do you take requests?" said Mimi, "now play 'On a night like this'!" 

He sweatdropped. "Sorry, I don't know that one." 

"Don't worry, Joe, it's not music anyway," said Matt, and got smacked by Mimi for his effort. 

The others all started offering suggestions of what to play. Joe was reluctant to play again, having - he thought - made a fool of himself by showing his passion when playing. But he had been itching to play, and nobody had ever congratulated him on his playing before... after a moment's thought, he started playing a gentle melody. A couple of the other kids recognised the song. 

"Yesterday," sang Sora, "all my troubles seemed so far away..." 

"Now it looks as though they're here to stay," sang Izzy. 

"Oh I believe, in yesterday," finished Joe. 

Sora, Izzy and Joe sung the rest of the song together. 

"Suddenly,  
I'm not half the man I used to be  
there's a shadow hanging over me  
Oh, yesterday came suddenly  
  
Why she had to go,  
I don't know... she wouldn't say  
I said something wrong  
now I long for yesterday  
  
Yesterday,  
Love was such an easy game to play  
Now I need a place to hide away  
Oh, I believe in yesterday  
  
Why she had to go,  
I don't know... she wouldn't say  
I've said something wrong  
now I long for yesterday  
  
Yesterday,  
Love was such an easy game to play  
Now I need a place to hide away  
Oh, I believe in yesterday..."  
  
They all fell silent except for Joe playing the last few chords. The three who had sung grinned at each other a little self-consciously. 

"That's such a sad song!" said Mimi, "I want to go hooome!" 

"Beatles song, right?" asked Matt. Joe nodded. 

"What are the Beatles?" asked Mimi. All the other kids facefaulted. 

"Beetles are like me!" said Tentomon. 

"Not that sort of beetle," said Izzy, with a little sweatdrop. 

"Do you know a lot of songs, Joe?" asked Biyomon. 

"Sure. Seven years of piano lessons has gotta be good for something," he said. 

"Do you know 'Stairway to Heaven'?" asked Matt. 

Joe responded by beginning to play it. Matt pulled out his harmonica. It was a strange duet, but soon, like most musicians who put their feelings into their music, the two forgot anyone else was there and just depended on the sound of the other instrument. 

The two introverts shared their music. Joe closed his eyes again, and Matt had an intense look in his eyes. 

After they stopped, nobody said anything for several moments. 

"The rain stopped," said Patamon. 

"We'd better keep looking for our crests," said Tai reluctantly. 

They all began to file out, and Izzy paused suddenly and held up a finger triumphantly. 

"Oh, keyboard! I get it, like a piano keyboard!" 

Tai sweatdropped. "For such a genius, your sense of humour could use some help." 

Joe was the last to leave, casting a final, wistful look back at the piano. As he turned back around, he found Sora standing close to him. 

"Joe," she said, "thanks." 

"For what?" 

"For letting us see you play with your eyes closed." 

"But I... what do... oh." 

He realised what she meant. For those moments, he had forgotten himself and let everyone see, for the first time, himself. He smiled, a little embarassed, and she smiled back. The two went after the others, Gomamon the last out of the building, lolloping behind his partner. 

"Well played," he said.


End file.
